Food is a glorious thing, and beautiful images of food speak to our senses, leaving us hungry for more. However, creating these images is not easy, in fact it can be quite a challenge. Food gets messy, it behaves badly, It melts, it wilts, it dies, it discolors, it loses its fizz.

I'm Trace Hayes, creator of VisualFare Food Styling, and no-one knows these challenges better than I. As a food stylist for the past 23 years, I've been discovering new ways to perfect food and liquids for the camera. The subtle art of food styling takes creativity, a great deal of patience, and sometimes sheer innovation to capture food at its best.

As a professional Chef during the first part of my career, I learned the art of presentation and preparation. As a Food Stylist, I have learned how to translate food to film.

The food and drink galleries on the website, showcase some of my work and past styling accomplishments. Whatever your project and wherever you are, I'm available for hire. Visit my Client page for a partial list of past and present VisualFare clients.

Additionally, The VisualFare Online Store offers my Twice as Nice Ice, Food Shine and a few hard to find items that I've found indispensable to food stylists and photographers. Enjoy the styling magic in the gallery pages, shop the store if you're a pro stylist or photographer, and of course, 'stay hungry my friends'!

Twice as Nice Ice * On Sale Now!

Beautiful drink images, one of my specialties, often call for the use of acrylic or “fake” ice. Much of the acrylic ice that is currently available online or at prop houses is designed in a square shape with square edges. This shape tends to stack inside a glass or container in a brick-like pattern which is neither natural looking nor photogenic, and obviously, looks fake. This type of ice is typically used for wide or distance shots, (such as a room full of people with drinks in front of them). I invented Twice as Nice Icebecause the current cubes simply weren't good enough for my clients requiring close up drink images.

Close up drink photography is very specialized and not only requires the proper treatment of the glass, but also requires clear, beautifully shaped acrylic ice in both amorphic shapes and shards. In order to get this natural look, the ice pieces should be nearly the same size, with random shapes that are able to fit together. These shapes leave little or no space between the pieces, yet allow as much light as possible to pass through the sometimes murky liquids. When topped out with smaller pieces, the ice breaks over the rim of the glass achieving a natural, realistic look.Twice as Nice Ice is the only acrylic ice on the market that can produce the look of natural ice; a look highly sought after by professional stylists and photographers. It is available for purchase on this site at our VisualFare Store.